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natalieblueeyes · Jun 20, 2008, 07:24 AM

Hi,
What is the typical distance of a toilet tank from the wall? Our new one is 1 1/2" and that seems too far.
Do you have to move the flange to move the toilet tank closer to the wall?

Our bathroom is very small.

Thanks.
Natalie

speedball1 · Jun 20, 2008, 07:37 AM

Hi Natalie,
1 1/2" is a little too much for a tank to set vout from the wall. 1/4 / 3/8ths average with 1/2" the limit. You have two options here. 1) Pull the toilet and install a 1" offset closet flange, **or** 2) pull the tank and cut a 2 X for a tad less then the width of the tank, attach it to the wall near the top of the tank and paint it the same color as your walls.
The 2 X 4 will act as a bumper and stay out of sight. Your choice. Good luck, Tom

natalieblueeyes · Jun 20, 2008, 07:48 AM

Thanks for the quick answer.

I just discovered a new problem. Because the toilet is not installed close enough to the wall, there is not 21" between the end of the toilet and the wall in front of the toilet. (There is only 20". This is a very small bathroom.)

We have not had the final inspection yet and the building inspector may force us to move the toilet back closer to the wall.

Will you first suggestion work to move the toilet an 1" closer to the wall?

Natalie

ballengerb1 · Jun 20, 2008, 09:31 AM

Natalie, sounds like you are close to your inspection so why mot wait and see what the inspector has to say. They frequently offer the best suggestions on a fix since they know what they will approve and not approve. Tom gave you some good options, I like the offset flnange the best. Who installed you toilet and darin pipe, if a plumber did it you may get a free fix since they must be within code. By the way since things are tight, did you know the code requires 15" from the center of the bowel to any side wall or shower enclosure? The tank need to be fairly close to the wall so if someone leans back the tank can flex a hair and then bump into the wall before the china shatters.

natalieblueeyes · Jun 20, 2008, 09:35 AM

Thanks. Yes, we are going to wait until inspection. A plumber did install the drain pipe but that plumber was fired before the toilet was installed.

We are 15" from the wall.

Natalie

ballengerb1 · Jun 20, 2008, 09:38 AM

Who fired the plumber, you or a general contractor. Fired or not he still has liability for non-code work. The offset falnge will require some floor cutting so tile and/or a concrete floor would be an issue, but everything is fixable.

natalieblueeyes · Jun 20, 2008, 10:11 AM

I fired the plumber. We are deducting several things already for the amount he is owed and this will be another one if we have to change it.

Fortunately, this is not concrete -- although it would involve tile work. I don't think the inspector will let this one go by because there is a heater on the wall in front of the toilet and I think he will be sensitive about the distance.

I am hoping we could use an off-set flange (if that is the right name) and just reset the toilet. That may move it back enough.

Thanks.
Natalie

ballengerb1 · Jun 20, 2008, 12:36 PM

You got it correct, offset flange Installing An Offset Toilet Flange - Drain Plumbing, Soil Pipe These guys have saved a lot of projects.

westnlas · Jun 20, 2008, 12:47 PM

I think you should have fired the carpenter who framed the floor. It has been standard for years to run a joist 16" from the face of the wall behind the toilet. The plumber then straps the bin to the joist with a 2x spacer block positioning the bin at 11" from the face of the wall.

It's pretty important to move the toilet back where it belongs. When you let something slide during construction, it has a tendency to haunt you. I don't think there is any substitute for doing the work correctly and enjoying the use of it for many years.

A wall heater in the bath always concerns me. Can you use a ceiling heater instead ? Several years ago, one of my kids got burned pretty good by a bathroom wall heater. I replaced them with combination fan/heater/light kit.

Good luck with it.

natalieblueeyes · Jun 20, 2008, 01:42 PM

The floor was existing -- the contractor didn't change it. It was new plumbing for a new bathroom in existing space.

That concerns me what you said about in wall heaters. Did your grandchild get burned by falling against it?

Natalie

westnlas · Jun 20, 2008, 02:14 PM

Not a grandchild. One of my kids. Several years ago, a in home we had, there were small electric heaters in the wall near the floor in both bathrooms. The metal grills got very hot, and one of my kids (they were little) bumped into one. I don't recall if I ran a new circuit through the attic, or rerouted the existing heater circuit, but I remember I used a combination fixture fin the ceiling for both bathrooms.

Sorry for the comment about the framing. The plumber may have set the bin as close to the wall as the framing would allow. An Offset toilet ring would be my suggestion also, even if the flooring needs to be notched slightly to accommodate it.

Adding a new circuit might not be a difficult job, but would depend on the size of your service, how much access you have to run the cable, etc. If the wall heater is on a dedicated circuit, you may be able to fish a jumper cable from it's location to a box in the ceiling.

Good luck, and I know you will enjoy having another bath in the house.

ballengerb1 · Jun 20, 2008, 03:12 PM

If you are building to code that walol heater is going to be yanked per the inspectors report. You can not longer have these heaters but he may grandfather you. I kind of doubt it since you are doing pretty much a total remodel and will be required to be up to code. You can ask him in adavcance or just wait for his report, either way I think he'll tell you it needs to go.

natalieblueeyes · Jun 20, 2008, 05:16 PM

We are building to Code or at least that is what I thought they were doing. The heater is a cadet in-wall fan heater (Com-pak bath). We have 2 new bathrooms -- both have these heaters.
In one bathroom, the heater is on a way 3 feet across from a vanity.
But in the other bathroom -- the one with the toilet problem, the heater is on the wall across from the toilet and is only 20" from end of toilet.

Is the heater a Code violation because the heater is too close to the front of the toilet or are these types of heaters not allowed?
Natalie

natalieblueeyes · Jun 20, 2008, 05:21 PM

The bathroom is on the second floor and the ceiling is still open down below. I just looked and there were no restrictions on the plumber roughing the toilet in back where it should be. The joists run parallel to the toilet and (other than a mismeasurement) there is nothing that kept him from roughing it correctly.

Natalie

speedball1 · Jun 21, 2008, 04:29 AM

Originally Posted by natalieblueeyes

The bathroom is on the second floor and the ceiling is still open down below. I just looked and there were no restrictions on the plumber roughing the toilet in back where it should be. The joists run parallel to the toilet and (other than a mismeasurement) there is nothing that kept him from roughing it correctly.

Natalie

If you can't get the original plumber back then have the builder get someone to move the toilet back. Since the ceiling's open I would pass om the offset flange amd move the closet bend and flange back to where it belongs. Good luck, Tom

natalieblueeyes · Jun 21, 2008, 06:57 AM

Thanks. I would prefer that it be done right.

One more question. There are 2 bathrooms where the toilet rough-in was wrong -- one with the code violation that we have been talking about and another new bathroom next to it. In the second bathroom, the toilet rough-in is wrong but there is no code violation -- just a toilet too far from the wall. Would you move the second toilet also -- or just leave it? The access is still open down below but it would mean tearing up the tile, etc.

Natalie

speedball1 · Jun 21, 2008, 07:18 AM

Originally Posted by natalieblueeyes

Thanks. I would prefer that it be done right.

One more question. There are 2 bathrooms where the toilet rough-in was wrong -- one with the code violation that we have been talking about and another new bathroom next to it. In the second bathroom, the toilet rough-in is wrong but there is no code violation -- just a toilet too far from the wall. Would you move the second toilet also -- or just leave it? The access is still open down below but it would mean tearing up the tile, etc.

Natalie

If the second toilet is as far from the wall as the first one the I would definably get it moved at the same time. Why would any tile be exposed? You're Just moving the flange back a inch or so. The tile would have to come out to move the flange but the bowl should cover that after it's been reset.

iamgrowler · Jun 21, 2008, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by natalieblueeyes

Thanks. I would prefer that it be done right.

One more question. There are 2 bathrooms where the toilet rough-in was wrong -- one with the code violation that we have been talking about and another new bathroom next to it. In the second bathroom, the toilet rough-in is wrong but there is no code violation -- just a toilet too far from the wall. Would you move the second toilet also -- or just leave it? The access is still open down below but it would mean tearing up the tile, etc.

Natalie

Before going much further with this, I would first establish that the Plumber did in fact miss the mark on his rough-in. There are several models of toilets that will sit a good 1-1/2 from the wall on a 12" rough-in.

Kohler's Wellworth, American Standard's Cadet series, most Caroma's and Toto's Drake, just to name a few.

Take a tape measure and measure from the wall to the center of the bolts holding the toilet down to the floor -- If the measurement exceeds 12", then your Plumber missed the mark -- If the measurement is 12", then your Plumber roughed it in correctly.

natalieblueeyes · Jun 21, 2008, 01:56 PM

The toilet is a Kohler Pinoir. Measuring to the center of the bolt on the toilet, it is only a little over 12". Based on the rough-in information from Kohler, the toilet tank should be only 3/4" from the wall. So if the measure to the center of the bolt is 12", why is the toilet tank a little over 1 1/2" from the wall?

On the Kohler rough-in information, it looks like the 12" measurement is made past the bolt. Is the 12" always measured to the bolt?

Natalie

iamgrowler · Jun 21, 2008, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by natalieblueeyes

The toilet is a Kohler Pinoir. Measuring to the center of the bolt on the toilet, it is only a little over 12". Based on the rough-in information from Kohler, the toilet tank should be only 3/4" from the wall. So if the measure to the center of the bolt is 12", why is the toilet tank a little over 1 1/2" from the wall?

According to Kohler's rough-in field guide, all 4 W/C's in the Pinoir line will be a minimum of 1" off the wall when installed onto a 12" rough-in.

On the Kohler rough-in information, it looks like the 12" measurement is made past the bolt. Is the 12" always measured to the bolt?

The closet flange should be roughed-in a minimum of 12" to center from the face of the finished wall -- The closet bolts should then be installed in the very center of the flange.